College campus protests have aroused pro and con opinions. I believe the protests have been too much and abusive. Many have disagreed with me. I have received some heavy adverse comments to the effect. On May 8, the New York Post published an article setting forth that Columbia Law students wanted their final exams called off. Basically in the name of Palestine. The protests took up too much of their time and they are not ready for final exams. The students wish automatic passing grades based not on their final exams, but on work through the semester. Preferably, a simple pass or fail grade. T ..read more

I introduced Cathy to a smoothie at Date & Thyme yesterday. She enjoyed.  Last night, it was Happy Hour at The Grand. Good time! We were joined by Theos and Dina from Greece and Steve and Cindy. It was good to be back to The Grand again. My last visit was in January before the heart problem hit. Unfortunately, I could only partake of tomato soup and diet Coke. Still having my teeth worked on. Difficult to chew. Actually, impossible. I must admit I do not enjoy watching other people eat. I have now lost 24 pounds due to the inability to chew. I have refrained from going out because of ..read more

Yesterday…..What a day! Terrible afternoon, wonderful evening. I had a CAT scan angiogram at 3. To possibly discover the cause of the extreme heart pain I had last week. Did not make sense in view of three heart surgeries I had recently. It turned into a torture. Not blaming the Key West Hospital personnel. The cause may perhaps go back to Mount Sinai. The first pacemaker surgery which failed and had to be redone left me with three blood clots. Two in my left arm. My left arm is still in rest mode. Use it little. No blood work advised. So it was the right arm yesterday. Four professionals trie ..read more

Common events can be happy ones. I have two ahead of me today. At 3, I will be receiving a CT Angiogram of my chest. Recall last week, I suffered extreme heart pain. The worst ever! Thought I was getting the big time heart attack. Strange since recently I had received 3 heart surgeries at Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami over a 5 week period in February and March. The CT scan today is to determine why the pain. Fortunately, no pain since last week. I am upset it took this long to get scheduled for the test. Eight days. I am doing it at the Key West Hospital. Nevertheless, I am thrilled the day is ..read more

Cinco de Mayo is a yearly celebration held on May 5 to celebrate Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Mexico’s troops were led by General Ignacio Zaragoza. For some reason, Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated with any significance in Mexico. However, it is celebrated in Key West. Key Westers party with dancing, drinking and food. Margaritas the drink of choice. Enjoy the special holiday today! Mystik Dan, a long shot, won the Kentucky Derby. An 18-1 shot. The finish thrilling. A three horse photo finish that took judges several minutes to decide. The vict ..read more

Today’s the day. The most famous horse race in America. The Kentucky Derby! The race solely for three year old thoroughbreds. One and a quarter miles. It is the first leg of the Triple Crown. The Derby known also as “The Run For The Roses.” The winning horse is draped in a blanket of roses. The race lasts two minutes. Referred to as “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” The Derby was first run in 1875. Today the 150th running of the event. It is the most watched and most attended horse race in the United States. The father of the Kentucky Derby is Col. Meriwether Louis Clark Jr., grandson ..read more

Sugar Ray Robinson was born this day in 1921. Considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound. Six times a world champion. Once as a welterweight, five times as a middleweight. I got to see the man at least a dozen times. Not as a boxer, but as a fellow on his way to visit his Mom I attended Manhattan College. Located at 246th Street, just off Broadway. His Mother lived on 238th Street, just off Broadway. Sugar Ray used to park his 1950 “pink” Cadillac convertible on Broadway when he visited. My friends and I would occasionally walk Broadway. Not to see the Champion. M ..read more

Tons of items requiring comment. Some consequential, some not. All important to me at the moment, however. Engelbert Humperdinck is 88 years old today. My age. His name alone is worthy of comment. Engelbert was a great singer beginning in the 1960’s. British origin. Became popular world wide. The song that made him was Release Me. I recall dancing to the tune and many of his other love recordings back then. His name strange. Not originally is. His for real name was Gerry Dorsey. He adopted the long Engelbert moniker with Release Me. Engelbert Humperdinck was the name of an older German compose ..read more

Marriage is and has been an evolving state. Lets begin with the stone age. Couples existed, but not as we know them today. Males and females got together for sex, child sharing and life’s daily tasks. Respect was lacking. The male/husband dominant. The female/wife a slave of sorts. Traditional marriage as known today difficult to pinpoint. Non-existent. Marriage became a mix. All numbers and kinds as time moved on. Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines. Men have taken multiple wives in various cultures. China and Africa the most common. American Mormons in the 19th century. Polygamy is stil ..read more

Willie Nelson is 91 today. Happy birthday, Willie! He has made America happy with his voice and tunes. My favorite…..On the Road Again! May he continue to perform and make another generation of Americans happy! From happiness to sadness. On this day in 1975, the Vietnam War ended as the South Vietnam capitol in Saigon fell to Communist forces. It was a disgraceful day for American Army and Marine troops. They gallantly fought to protect the capitol and persons inside seeking to escape. Escape was helicopters from the roof while Communists were shooting from the ground and fighting to enter the ..read more